Hospital Costs

Use this new tool from personal finance website Nerd Wallet, How Much Hospitals Charge to find out the price of the 100 most common inpatient services at 3200 hospitals accross the country. Those that are uninsured or underinsured may benefit most by being able to determine which nearby hospitals charge the least for a needed medical procedure that they will have to pay for "out of pocket"; individuals can also use the price data to negotiate lower charges for services received.

This site from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services provides data about the quality of care at more than 4,700 hospitals around the country. Search by zip code or city and state to access information such as how well local hospitals handle conditions like heart attacks and diabetes.

Provides detailed information about every Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the US. Search by name, city, county, state, or zip code; Compare Quality using the Five-Star Quality Ratings, health inspection results, and nursing home staff data.

In 1995, New Jersey Medicaid began moving Medicaid beneficiaries from a traditional fee-for-service health insurance program, in which healthcare providers bill Medicaid directly, into managed care. Under managed care, clients enroll in a Health Plan which manages their healthcare and offers special services in addition to the benefits to which Medicaid clients are entitled.
Five Health Plans participate in New Jersey's NJ FamilyCare program. They are:
Aetna
AMERIGROUP NJ
Horizon NJ Health
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan
WellCare

Search by location, name, or specialty. In addition, if you only want to see providers who accept the Medicare-approved amount as payment in full, click on the button that says Yes, only show providers who accept the Medicare-approved amount as payment in full.

The WebMD Physician Directory is compiled by The Little Blue Book, a printed physician directory that has been used by physicians themselves to contact other doctors. The data on each physician that WebMD presents is confirmed with each physician's office twice a year.

Find a Specialist

This site from Castle Connolly Medical provides a listing of top doctors who are peer- nominated, and then screened by a physician-led research team. Those doctors who are among the very best in their specialties and in their communities are selected for inclusion, and doctors cannot pay to be included in this directory.

DoctorFinder, a resource available through the American Medical Association (AMA), which provides patients and the general public with basic professional information on most licensed doctors in the United States

Drugs & Pharmaceuticals

This is a free public education service from the nonprofit Consumers Union that will help you talk to your doctor about prescription drugs, and find the most effective and safe drugs that also give you the best value for your money.

This is the drug information resource from the National Library of Medicine; offers links to information for consumers, along with references to toxicological and scientific journals, manufacturer's drug labels, chemical structures, and synonyms of a drug name.

Comprehensive drug information database provided by Micromedex. Provides information about prescription and non-prescription drugs, including a drug interaction checker, a pill identifier, an image search, as well as the latest news about medications.

"MedlinePlus has extensive information from the National Institutes of Health and other trusted sources on over 700 diseases and conditions. There are also lists of hospitals and physicians, a medical encyclopedia and a medical dictionary, health, plus surgery videos.

This site is the main access point to consumer health information from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Users can choose a specific health topic, browse categories, or search all topics to obtain information about specific diseases.

This website from the Department of Health and Human Services, offers an encyclopedia of more than 1,600 health topics. Also allows you to Find a doctor, health center or organization, and to sign up for health news e-mails. Information also in Español.

Offers a collection of health-related Web sites specifically for New Jersey. It includes state and county level health resources as well as NJ health insurance topics. There are also links to hospitals and other health care facilities in all NJ counties.

The Mayo Clinic provides a wealth of easy-to-understand health and medical information. In addition to diseases and conditions, the site offers healthy living guides and helpful resources such as Health Tools, Treatment Decision Guides, blogs and pod casts, and Ask a Specialist feature.

The Office on Women’s Health (OWH) offers award-winning comprehensive websites that provide reliable and accurate information on the health of women. They cover more than 800 topics, on issues ranging from adolescent health to reproductive health to healthy aging. OWH also offers free assistance by phone though its information referral center, 1- 800-994-9662, with trained information specialists available to answer questions in either English or Spanish.

Hotlines and Helplines

This is juat a selection of some important helplines and hotlines. For more NJ Helplines, go to NJHelps, http://www.njhelps.org/helplines.html.

Call 609-646-6767 or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−SAFE (7233), or on the web, http://www.thehotline.org/help/. For a safe place to stay: In the US: visit Womenslaw.org for a state-by-state directory of domestic violence shelters in the U.S.

Are you feeling desperate, alone or hopeless? Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), a free, 24-hour hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Your call will be routed to the nearest crisis center to you.

NJPIES provides free poison consultation and drug information through its Poison Help Hotline (800-222-1222), which is available 24/7. The hotline is staffed with specially trained health care professionals—nurses, pharmacists, and doctors—who can provide help with poison emergencies or answer questions relating to drugs and medication use.

Books & Audiobooks Not to Miss

Divided into three sections (What to Do, What to Avoid, and Doctor's Orders) that provide the definitive answers to many common and not-so-common questions: Who should take a baby aspirin daily? Are flu shots safe? What constitutes 'healthy' foods? Why is it important to protect your senses? Are airport scanners hazardous? Dr. Agus will help you develop new patterns of personal health care using inexpensive and widely accessible tools that are based on the latest and most reliable science.

Master entrepreneur, original hip-hop mogul, and New York Times bestselling author Russell Simmons shares the most fundamental key to success-meditation-and guides readers to use stillness as a powerful tool to access their potential. In Success Through Stillness, Simmons shows the connection between inner peace and outward success through interviews with other successful leaders in various industries, and how learning to be still has been instrumental in his own career. Simmons attributes his meditation practice with changing his life for the better and says that there is no "bad" way to meditate, only different forms for different people. In this highly anticipated new book, Russell Simmons guides readers into finding greater clarity and focus, and explains how to be healthier in both mind and body. Simmons breaks down what he's learned from masters of meditation into a guide that is accessible to those unfamiliar with the practice".

In GO WILD, Harvard Medical School Professor John Ratey, MD, and journalist Richard Manning reveal that although civilization has rapidly evolved, our bodies have not kept pace. This mismatch affects every area of our lives, from our general physical health to our emotional wellbeing. By focusing on the ways of the past, it is possible to obtain a healthier and happier future, and GO WILD will show you how.

Vital Records in NJ

You can mail your completed "Non-genealogical Vital Record Application" (REG-27) to the Office of Vital Statistics and Registry or to the Local Vital Records Office in the city or town where the event took place.

Flu Shots Atlantic County

Atlantic City Dept. of Health & Human Services Public Health Division

FREE Vaccinations For more information, please call 347-6876 OR 347-6442

Flu shots are still available on a walk-in basis at various locations in Atlantic Countic, including Absecon, Brigantine, EHT and Pleasantville; or call the Flu Vaccination Hotline: (609) 677-5720. In addition, the Division of Public Health provides the following vaccinations for adults 50 years and older at no charge for residents without insurance and those whose insurance does not cover these vaccines. Please call 645-5933 to schedule an appointment in Northfield or Hammonton.

Pneumococcal: Everyone 65 or older needs to get this one-time vaccination, as well as those younger than 65 who smoke or have chronic health conditions such as asthma, lung and heart disease, diabetes, or a weakened immune system. This vaccination is also covered under Medicare Part B.

Zoster (shingles): Recommended for everyone 60 and older, shingles is a painful, blistering skin rash that affects more than 1 million Americans each year.

Tdap (tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis): A one-time dose of the Tdap vaccine, which covers tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough), is recommended to all adults. If you have had a Tdap shot, you should return to getting a tetanus-diphtheria (Td) booster shot every 10 years.

MMR (measles, mumps and rubella): Anyone born in 1957 or later who is unsure about their immunization history should receive the MMR shot. A blood test can tell whether someone has had any of these diseases or has received the vaccine, but a test is expensive. If you're unsure about your immunity, getting a booster shot is more cost-effective and isn't harmful, even if you're immune.

Hepatitis A: This is a two-dose series of shots recommended to adults 50 and older who have chronic liver disease, a clotting-factor disorder, have same-sex male partners, illicit injectable drug use, or who travel to areas with a high incidence of hepatitis A.

Hepatitis B: This three-dose series is recommended to adults 50 and older who are on dialysis, have renal disease or liver disease, are sexually active with more than one partner, or have a sexually transmitted disease or HIV.

Meningitis: Adults 55 and younger who have never been vaccinated, have had their spleen removed, have certain blood deficiencies or plan to travel to parts of the world where meningitis is common should receive the meningococcal conjugate vaccine.

Varicella (Chickenpox): Adults who have not had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine are just as likely to develop chickenpox as children. Chickenpox complications are more likely to occur in adults than in children. Although adults account for only 5 percent of chickenpox cases per year, they account for a disproportionate number of deaths (55 percent) and hospitalizations compared to children.

Health Classes and Support Groups

Classes (including CPR & First Aid), support groups, and screenings for healthy living are offered here.

Finding Free or Low Cost Insurance in NJ

The Atlantic County Prescription Discount Card is available to everyone who lives in Atlantic County; there are No income requirements; No age requirements, and there is Unlimited use for the whole family. The card can either be printed out online, or picked up from any Atlantic County Library system branch.

Hospital care payment help is available to NJ residents who: have no health coverage or have coverage that pays for only part of the bill, are ineligible for Medicaid, and meet both the income and assets eligibility criteria. See the this LSNJ handbook for more information, http://www.lsnjlaw.org/Publications/Pages/Manuals/CharityCare.pdf.

Federally-funded health centers care for you, even if you have no health insurance. You pay what you can afford, based on your income. Health centers provide the following services: Checkups when you're well; Treatment when you're sick; Complete care when you're pregnant; Checkups and immunizations for children; Dental care and prescription drugs for your family; Mental health and substance abuse care. Search by state and county to locate a health center near you.

Official U.S. government Medicare handbook with key information about Medicare, including What's new, Costs, What's covered by Medicare, Health and prescription drug plans and how to get Extra Help paying Medicare prescription drug costs.

Medicare makes it easy for you to get information. You can find answers to general questions about eligibility, coverage, compare health and drug plans, and on Medigap policies on this Web site. You can also apply online for Medicare at this site.

Healthfirst NJ offers Free or low-cost health coverage to eligible children, parents/guardians, and seniors. When you join Healthfirst NJ, you can see doctors and specialists who speak your language and are close to where you live. For help signing up for Healthfirst Medicare, please call 1-877-237-1303, M-F 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; For help signing up for NJ FamilyCare, Contact the NJ State Health Benefits Coordinator toll-free at 1-800-701-0710.

To be eligible for New Jersey Medicaid, a person must meet these requirements: resident of New Jersey, U.S. Citizen or qualified alien, and meet income standards. In addition, an individual must fall into one of the following categories: families with children up to age 18, people who are aged, blind or permanently disabled, pregnant women, or children.

The Affordable Care Act implements strong consumer protections, provides new coverage options and gives you the tools you need to make informed choices about your health. Contains full text of the Affordable Care Act; Key features of the law; The Health Care Law and a Timeline-what's changing and when.